Photographer Hartmut De Maertelaere (° Kalken March 3, 1967) grew up in an artistic family. Father was a sculptor and mother a violin maker. Since childhood, he has been in direct contact with art, literature and music. "My heart was filled every day by the joy and passion for music and art in all its forms"
Hartmut De Maertelaere observes people and the world with velvet accuracy. For many years he has had a passionate relationship with Italy, Sicily in particular. The sincerity and warmth of Sicilians delight him. The more south the fiercer and more numerous the love messages appear in the streets. He once photographed his very first "Ti Amo" in Rome. Since then, a whole collection of these declarations of love, and especially of the promises of eternal love, has been created.
"Clair-Obscur" was created by accident earlier. .. looking to take a picture of a ballerina, but this picture had to remain a bit dark, not immediately reveal everything. .. and at a certain moment the impetus for this series was born. Together with Frank De Vos, this concept was worked out in detail and it turns out to be successful afterwards. The delicate lighting, sometimes reduced to a detail, demands the attention of the viewer.